1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rack collecting unit for collecting a sample rack, and a sample processing apparatus equipped with the rack collecting unit.
2. Description of the Related Arts
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,081 discloses a conventional sample processing system, having a rack setting unit for sending out a sample rack set by a user, a transport unit for transporting the sample rack sent out from the rack setting unit, a sample processing unit for performing processing of a sample contained in the sample rack transported by the transport unit, for example, analyzing the sample or preparing a smear slide from the sample, and a rack collecting unit for collecting the sample rack transported by the transport unit.
A sample analyzing system provided with an analyzing apparatus, a transferring section, a rack setting section, and a rack collecting section is disclosed in the above U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,081. In the sample analyzing system, the rack setting section is provided on the right side of the transferring section, and the rack collecting section is provided on the left side of the transferring section. The rack setting section sends out sample racks one by one to the transferring section. The transferring section is connected to the analyzing apparatus, and transfers the sample rack from the upstream side to downstream side. The samples thus transferred are analyzed by the analyzing apparatus, and the sample rack holding the analyzed samples is transferred by the transferring section to the rack collecting section to be thereby collected. In the rack setting section and the rack collecting section of the sample analyzing system, a first rack setting/collecting unit and a second rack setting/collecting unit are connected in turns. Each of the first and second rack setting/collecting units includes a fetching section for fetching the sample rack from outside and transporting the fetched sample rack in a predetermined direction, a storing section for receiving the sample rack from the fetching section and storing the received sample rack therein, and a delivering section for transporting the sample rack received from the storing section in the predetermined direction to deliver the sample rack outside. In the rack setting section and the rack collecting section, the first and second rack setting/collecting units are connected so that the fetching section of the first rack setting/collecting unit and the delivering section of the second rack setting/collecting unit are in communication with each other.
The sample processing system as described above is installed in such a facility as a hospital or an inspection center. In this case, depending on the configuration of installation location of the sample processing system in the facility, the system may have to flexibly accommodate different requests for the arrangement position of the rack collecting unit or the rack setting unit, for example, provide the rack collecting unit away from the rack setting unit, or provide the rack collecting unit near the rack setting unit. In the sample analyzing system recited in U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,081, while the number of the rack setting/collecting units to be provided in the rack setting section and the rack collecting section can be easily increased, it was not possible to flexibly change the arrangement position of the rack collecting section or the rack setting section such as providing the rack collecting section near the rack setting section.
The scope of the present invention is defined solely by the appended claims, and is not affected to any degree by the statements within this summary.
A first aspect of the present invention is a rack collecting unit usable in a first sample processing apparatus and a second sample processing apparatus, wherein the first sample processing apparatus transports a sample rack sent out from a rack setting unit to a rack collecting unit through a sample processing unit using a first transport path for transporting the sample rack in a first direction, and the second sample processing apparatus transports the sample rack sent out from the rack setting unit to a sample processing unit using a first transport path for transporting the sample rack in the first direction and thereafter transports the sample rack to the rack collecting unit using a second transport path for transporting the sample rack in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the rack collecting unit comprising:
a third transport path connectable to the first transport path and capable of transporting the sample rack in the first direction;
a fourth transport path connectable to the second transport path and capable of transporting the sample rack in the second direction;
a storing section for storing therein the sample rack; and
a transferring section for transferring the sample rack carried onto the third transport path or the fourth transport path to the storing section.
A second aspect of the present invention is a sample processing apparatus, comprising: a rack setting unit, on which a sample rack holding a sample container is set by a user, and which sends out the sample rack; a transport unit having one end side connected to the rack setting unit, the transport unit including a first transport path for transporting the sample rack sent out from the rack setting unit in a first direction, and a second transport path for transporting the sample rack in a second direction opposite to the first direction; a sample processing unit for processing a sample in the sampler container held by the sample rack transported by the first transport path of the transport unit; and a rack collecting unit for collecting the sample rack transported by the transport unit,
wherein the rack collecting unit comprises: a third transport path connectable to the first transport path and capable of transporting the sample rack in the first direction; a fourth transport path connectable to the second transport path and capable of transporting the sample rack in the second direction; a storing section for storing therein the sample rack; and a transferring section for transferring the sample rack carried onto the third transport path or the fourth transport path to the storing section, and wherein the rack collecting unit is connectable to the other end side of the transport unit and the rack setting unit.